Introduction
The Alan Turing Institute is pleased to announce a new funding call aimed at the development and delivery of online learning courses on the broad topic of responsible AI. This work is part of our commitment to offering immersive learning opportunities in data science and AI with a focus on the ethical and responsible approaches in designing, building and deploying AI for social good.
This work builds on the ‘Pedagogic innovation in (non-)cognate Data/AI Education through industry-academic co-creation’, which was supported by Towards Turing 2.0 under the EPSRC Grant EP/W037211/1 and The Alan Turing Institute. In addition, Accenture as a Turing strategic partner has provided significant resources towards this funding call.
Key dates and information
- Call opens: 6 May 2022
- Drop-in Q&A: 11 May 2022 (16:00 – 17:00 BST)
- Collaborative sandpits: 12 May 2022 (10:00 – 12:00 BST) and 16 May 2022 (14:30 – 16:00 BST)
- Call closes: 13 June 2022 (17:00 GMT)
- Outcome decisions: End of June 2022
- Project delivery: 1 July – 20 December 2022
- Total funding available: £270,000
- Maximum funding per project: £30,000
- Contact email address: [email protected]
What we are looking for
The Turing is aiming through this open call to fund, promote and support the development and delivery of training opportunities aligned with the Responsible AI remit. The successful online learning courses will reside on the new Turing Online Learning Platform which offers open, free, accessible and engaging courses in a range of data science, AI and related topics.
Responsible AI is a priority thematic area of the Turing in line with our remit to train the open, ethical leaders of the future. We are seeking to fund development and implementation of online learning courses in any topic under the responsible AI spectrum, as well as in fairness and transparency in particular. More details about the general and priority tracks are available in the Call Document.
We are inviting all researchers affiliated with a UK-based university, research institution or organisation to submit proposals. We are offering up to £30,000 for each successful application, where each grant should primarily cover the costs associated with lesson development and delivery time. The primary outcome of the project proposals will be self-paced learning activities and resources, and applicants will have the option to teach those courses synchronously.
The successful applicants will work alongside industry practitioners to create innovative skills and training opportunities that tackle important training areas both for academics and for those working in research data science roles in industry, public sector or charities.
Who should apply
We encourage applications from anyone with expertise in subtopics of responsible AI, as well as those with a holistic understanding of the theme. A minimum of three years of research experience is required either in an industry, research, or public sector role.
Interested applicants must be affiliated with a UK institution, and can apply individually, as an existing team or submit a collaborative application following the sandpit opportunities on 12 and 16 May 2022.
About the sandpits
Sandpits will bring together academics and industry practitioners from a variety of disciplines. The sandpits will briefly introduce principles of effective instructional design, provide applicants with networking opportunities to stimulate collaboration and identify new opportunities for joint bids to the funding call for online learning courses in responsible AI.
For example, the sandpits will give interested applicants the opportunity to strengthen their bids by connecting them with:
- methodological expertise in a particular area of responsible AI
- industry practitioners with experience in the nuance of operationalisation these approaches
- experts from target domains to assist in contextualising training for learners for these domains
Following the initial sandpits, applicants will be offered individual sessions to help refine their proposals prior to submission. During these sessions the Skills Team in collaboration with pedagogical instructors at Newcastle University will provide feedback to help strengthen the final applications. Find out more and register for the sandpit.
What to consider before applying
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Innovative training – please consider how your project proposal could add value to the existing Responsible AI training landscape in the UK and beyond, and consider ways to complement the current offer. In addition, can you think of engaging and creative ideas to enable online learning in a self-paced way?
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Alignment with the topic – is your project idea aligned with the Responsible AI remit and is it specific enough to fall under one of the main pillars of Responsible AI?
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Open-source learning content – do you share our ethos of open-source training so that others can contribute, adapt and reuse the materials?
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Scalability – the Turing is committed to championing training at scale while capitalising on the open-source learning materials. Please consider the approaches you would take to enable today’s learners to become tomorrow’s educators.
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Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) – can you think of concrete examples of how EDI will be considered in all aspects of your learning proposal, from conception to implementation?
How to apply
Applications must be made through the online application form. Please read the Call Document before starting your application. For any questions unanswered there, please email the team at [email protected].
Reasonable adjustments and support
The Turing recognises there may be individual circumstances that colleagues at the Institute need to be aware of. The Turing aims to accommodate specific needs and personal circumstances, some of which may require additional funding. If you would like to request any reasonable adjustments that would help with your application or project delivery, please email us at [email protected] and one of our team members will get back to you.
